REVIEW: What a Woman Wants by Judi Fennell

In What a Woman Wants by Judi Fennellwhen Livvy inherits her grandmother’s estate she packs everything up and moves lock, stock and barrel into it. Livvy’s intention is to sell it and use the money to start her own business, the one she’s always dreamed of. When she arrives at the mansion, she is met quite unexpectedly by one very hot maid! Having lost a bet with his sister, Sean has to work for her house cleaning company for 4 weeks…and he chose this one. From the moment he meets Livvy, Sean’s world is turned upside down.

Livvy is a whirlwind with her animals, plans for the future and life in general. She soon finds out that before the estate can be hers, she must complete a scavenger hunt with clues left by her grandmother…and has only 2 weeks to do it. The end prize? The estate. If she is unsuccessful she will lose everything. This is the last thing Livvy wants to do, she feels she is being played one final time by a woman who never wanted or loved her, but to get her inheritance and move on with her plans, she must play the game.

Sean has his own game plan…he has been planning to buy the estate for years, never expecting he wouldn’t be able to. Never expecting he would fall for the surprise who is Livvy. The chemistry between Livvy and Sean is hot, but both of them fight the attraction. Just as they start to give in to it, one or both of them backs off. With the romance/relationship dance going on, Sean soon finds himself helping Livvy with her hunt as they explore the estate together. Sean is conflicted though…he wants the estate, he wants Livvy, and he wants to do the right thing. He has a few secrets he is keeping from Livvy. Secrets never keep though, and when his come out will it destroy any chance Sean has not only with his business plans for the estate but with Livvy also? For Livvy, what will happen if she loses not only the estate, but Sean too?

Judi gives us a fast paced, easy to read romance in What A Woman Wants. There are few story changing plot twists and for the most part What a Woman Wants is easy to follow. Livvy and Sean make an entertaining hero and heroine. Livvy carries issues and hurts from her childhood with her, but it is easy to see why. I liked how Judi worked this and took us down the path with Livvy as she found some answers. Livvy is fun, open, and devoted to what she believes in. For the most part she is someone you can relate to as we feel with her and watch her try to move on. Sean is a hard worker with goals…I really liked how no matter how career driven he was, he still felt conflict and didn’t just power ahead and try to get his way. His life is in a tailspin as soon as Livvy enters it between her animals, the estate, and his job, but he didn’t pull away. Most of the time I got a sense of strength and love from Sean, but his secrets and unwillingness to open up to Livvy took away some of that, but at the same time made him more human. I really would have liked more background on Sean…we got a lot on Livvy. I do love animals in any story, but the way the animals were in this story for me were way over the top, and this tipped the story over from realistic to just a fun, make believe story. The romance was real, the feelings were real, but those animals really tended to over power all of that in a lot of places.

We see a bit of Sean’s family in What a Woman Wants, but they are only in and out briefly. Most of What a Woman Wants is only about Sean and Livvy.

The general story idea was fantastic and the game Livvy had to play to get her inheritance was sure a unique idea. I’d recommend What a Woman Wants to romance readers looking for a clean, light hearted read.

Book Info:

Published March 4th 2014 by Berkley

What happens when three irresistibly sexy brothers lose a poker bet to their enterprising sister? They get hired out for her housecleaning venture. Now, the Manley Maids are at your service. Satisfaction guaranteed. It’s what a woman wants…

Resort entrepreneur Sean Manley was all set to buy an historic mansion at a great price, making a name for himself while making millions, when the seller and a poker bet change the game. Now he’s in the place as a hunky male maid and there’s one more complication: Livvy Carolla.

The house is Livvy’s inheritance. Her plan? Unload it to the highest bidder and use the cash to start her own bakery business. One look at �the help” and she’s hot to take him with her. Until she finds out he’s got a secret agenda.

But when Sean falls for the free-spirited, strong-willed Livvy, he has new ideas for the estate—and Livvy’s part in it. If all goes well, they’ll both be getting what they want. And then some.

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HJ does not purchase all the books reviewed on this blog. HJ receives review copies of books from publishers, authors or their representatives, or third party services such a NetGalley or Edelweiss. The source of book has no bearing on the outcome of our reviews.
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